Am I the only one who is surprised that 1984’s Gremlins — one of the best holiday horror movies — did not spawn its own animated TV spin-off sooner? Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, which follows the adventures of Gizmo in 1920s China, is now available to stream with a Max subscription, nearly 40 years after the original movie came out. Yet, I can think of many other flicks that were given the same treatment relatively quickly after becoming a hit — such as Beetlejuice, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, and even Police Academy, to name a few.
However, upon the debut of this new Gremlins prequel series, I started to realize that there are several other iconic ’80 movies that have not yet been given the chance to be reinterpreted as an animated TV show, even though their stories would lend themselves beautifully to the medium. If only I were a Hollywood executive in that decade, the seven cinematic classics that I have listed below would have already been put on the TV cartoon fast track. Luckily, I do not think it is too late for them, and here are the reasons why I believe they still deserve that chance.
Labyrinth
I thought it would be difficult to find a classic fantasy movie from the 1980s that has not already been adapted into an animated series — with the likes of The NeverEnding Story getting one in the mid-1990s, for instance — untilI I learned, much to my surprise, that there was a Labyrinth TV show.
The dark fairy tale from 1986 starring rock star David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly takes place in a wondrous world that is brimming with possibility for many more adventures. Maybe the reason it hasn’t been made into an animated series is because the puppets are essential to its unique appeal, which is why I recommend a hybrid of animation with puppetry like another show based on a Jim Henson favorite: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, on Netflix.
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
We finally received a “sequel” to one of the best Steven Spielberg movies, 1982’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, in the form of a heartwarming Xfinity ad starring Henry Thomas in 2019. However, I think we could have (or should have) seen an E.T. and Elliott reunion even sooner in an animated TV spin-off, in which the little spaceman returns to Earth to be with his friend, setting off a series of otherworldly situations that the pair must deal with together. I mean, that sounds like a better follow-up than that horror-centric sequel Spielberg was pitched once, does it not?
The Evil Dead
Speaking of horror, one of the greatest horror movie franchises actually did continue on the small screen with Ash vs. Evil Dead, which turned out to be the last we saw of Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams since he retired the role in 2018…in live-action at least.
Following Campbell’s reprisal for the Evil Dead video game and vocal cameo in Evil Dead Rise, there is a chance we could see more of the chainsaw-handed hero in an animated series that the horror movie icon claimed was being “actively pursued” in a recent Bloody-Disgusting interview. As a huge fan of the franchise created by Sam Raimi in 1981, I am hoping and praying the future of Evil Dead really does include that cartoon.
Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark
Someone associated with many, many great horror movies after hosting thrillers of the week on TV for years is Elvira — the alter ego of Cassandra Peterson, who first brought the character to the big screen in Elvira: Mistress of the Dark.
In more recent years, Peterson would voice the character in a few Scooby-Doo movies, which makes me especially hopefully that the planned animated sequel to the 1988 horror-comedy flick that she mentioned to ComicBook becomes a reality. If not, I think an animated Elvira series could be a real hit, or at least a decent consolation for being turned down by Shudder and Netflix for an Elvira’s Movie Macabre revival.
Mad Max
No one has influenced the post-apocalyptic movie genre as strongly as George Miller with his Mad Max movies (especially 1981’s The Road Warrior), whose title character is unique for not actually being the real star.
The appeal of this franchise is the barren, barbaric, motor oil and blood drenched world that Max (played by Mel Gibson and Tom Hardy) aimlessly roams, and one that I and many other fans, I am sure, would love to see more of. Considering Fury Road was almost conceived as an animated film — according to MTV — I don’t see why Miller and co. should not try using the medium for a TV show, but until that comes true, I am at least excited to see the series legacy continue with the upcoming Furiosa spin-off movie.
Escape From New York
Another classic dystopian thriller from 1981 is one of director John Carpenter’s best movies, Escape from New York, which — unlike Mad Max — does owe much of its success to its hardened, anti-heroic protagonist: Snake Plissken. We have only seen Kurt Russell reprise one of his most badass characters once, in 1996’s Escape from L.A., which I think most would agree is just not up to par with the original, and, because of that, I would very much be interested in seeing more of the eye-patched war veteran, but only if Russell can do it. I think an animated series — maybe something like The Adventures of Snake Plissken — would be the best option.
The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension
One of the most famous examples of an ‘80s movie that was given the animated series spin-off treatment is RoboCop, but I think another, more obscure favorite starring Peter Weller might be an even better candidate to get its own cartoon. In fact, I think a TV show based on The Adventures of Buckarro Banzai Across the 8th Dimension could make for a great hit, considering how hot movies and TV shows about the Multiverse are these days. Why not bring Weller and his fellow cast members — including Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Lloyd, and Clancy Brown — back to voice their characters for more inter-dimensional travel.
I also heard from Bloody-Disgusting that there is a completed Alien vs. Predator anime series that Disney has not released for some reason. Well, I think there is a lot of potential in that idea, but if it stays in the Vault, hopefully one of the seven classics I listed above have their chance to get animated.
